


What Follows the Rain

by starstag



Category: Pacific Rim (Movies)
Genre: Dogs, Domestic, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, F/M, Fluff, Healing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-26
Updated: 2019-02-26
Packaged: 2019-11-06 05:22:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,994
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17933633
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/starstag/pseuds/starstag
Summary: Raleigh built a house for Mako, and now only one thing is missing: Mako herself. Short and sweet story about finding a home, or rather building one.





	What Follows the Rain

It was the first month of spring when the rain finally came, giving the quiet neighborhood some relief from the oppressive heat. By that time, the hydrangea bush out in front of the porch was as brittle as dry pasta, the leaves crisp and brown. Raleigh tried to water it every day, he really did, but every time he walked out onto the wraparound porch, he would get distracted gazing down the street.  
This morning was no different. A haze of fog settled over the quiet neighborhood, giving th street the appearance of a leafy tunnel lined by silent houses, their windows dark. Raleigh’s bare feet tapped softly on the cool wood. He walked to the front steps and looked out over the yard. Steam from his coffee mug clouded in front of his face and he tipped it up to take a sip. It was far too bitter, only serving as a reminder that Mako was much better at making it than he was.   
A sigh escaped his body and he leaned against a column, looking down the street. The house was done, the front walk poured and dried. The paint on the outside of the upper floor had been applied months ago. The landscaping was growing in, and only the day before he had finally finished the last of the tiling in the bathroom. Everything was ready, but Mako still wasn’t with him.  
He absently set his cup on the railing and reached up to rub at his shoulder and upper arm. Mako could always make the ache go away. She just...knew how.   
After running a hand through his hair, he hooked his thumbs into his belt and stared down the street. It was warm, a slight breeze blew, strong enough to ruffle the kitchen curtains in the window behind him. He’d been so busy for months, and now...he just had to wait. He’d been ready to settle down. He was done with jaeger piloting, this time for good, and Mako had been relieved too. He’d thought of teaching younger pilots for a while, but it was Mako who’d convinced him the nerves in his arm and back would thank him for taking a few years off. “Besides,” She’d said. “We need a house.”  
A house. He sighed. They had one now, a good one, that he was proud of. All it was missing was Mako. Of course, their plan to settle down had been too good to come true all at once. He’d left the jaegers behind, all ready to put his fighting days behind him and focus on building a house and a family, but Mako had been called back. Driven, fierce Mako couldn't say no to a fight, and she couldn’t leave Pentecost's legacy behind. She’d taken a temporary job organizing recruitment programs and construction plans for new Shatterdomes and Jaegers all around the pacific.  
“Only a year.” She had reminded him the last time they’d seen each other face to face. “No more than that. We’re meant to be one, Raleigh. We’ll be together.”  
So, with doctor’s orders to take it easy and a enough medication to ward off the intense, tingling burn in both his arms, he’d gone back to the states, to North Carolina, where he’d bought a small house with plans to make it big and new and perfect, just like they wanted. And he had done it, he’d gotten to work with a fantastic vision and he brought those designs to life, all with his own hands. Now, he was standing alone on his porch, watching fog slowly lift to reveal dark clouds.   
“Ahh.” He said aloud, lip curled in frustration. How long until Mako came back? How long would he have to sit alone in the new house, the one he had made for the both of them? Weeks? A month? It wasn’t right, he’d made the house for both of them and it felt so empty without her. So unfinished.  
It wasn’t only the distance that separated them that was hard, it was the time. It always seemed that when he was awake, Mako was asleep. If he thought hard enough, it was almost like he could feel her, right there, through the drift. But almost wasn’t enough. He’d have to call her tonight and find out if there was any word on when she’d been returning.  
Raleigh picked up the cup, took another swig of the coffee, and stared down at the brown grass, hanging limply under the dense humidity of the fog. It was growing hotter, and the air had taken of a sharp scent and a heavy, muggy quality. A spring storm was on its way.  
He tilted his head and looked up at the clouds. North Carolina was different than any other place he had ever lived. When he’d gone to find a place for the two of them to settle down, he thought first of staying in Hong Kong, but Mako had made the point that she’d be moving around, and there was no point in staying in Hong Kong if he wanted be close to her. Better choose somewhere you’d actually like to live, she had said. So then he’d looked for places in California, but again Mako had shut that down. She’d insisted that he move away from the Pacific, far away, to somewhere safe. He’d agreed, and come here, where he had built the house. The house for both of them. And right now, it was only him.  
His thoughts kept circling back to his solitude. While not surprising, it wasn't entirely true, he finally reminded himself quickly. He turned back towards the front door and called inside. “Butter!” Silence. He called again. “Butter! Hey girl!” From inside, there was a flurry of scuttling and thumping. A large, yellow mutt with small, floppy ears came barreling through the door. She ran right to his side and pushed her muzzle into his cupped hands.   
He smiled. “Hey, sweet pea. Good morning.” He’d found Butter (or, if he wanted to use her full name, I Can’t Believe It Is Butter) wandering alone in the lumber yard where he’d bought materials for the house. She was skinny and ragged and desperately needed a companion. He had needed a friend too, so he’d scooped her into his car without a second thought and never looked back. She was big and playful and cuddly, and he knew Mako would love her. He’d showed Mako a lot of the house through pictures and video calls, but Butter he’d kept a secret.  
He bent down and kissed her nose, digging his fingers into the thick fur on her neck. “You’ll love Mako too. We’ll all be soooo happy.”   
Wrapping both his arms around her, he turned and sat on the front steps pulling the dog into his lap. She licked his chin, her tail thumping against the porch, and settled into him.  
The first few raindrops were coming down, pattering against the freshly-swept front walk. He moved his mug out of the way, cupping it against his chest. The porcelain was still hot, the warmth seeping through his thin shirt.   
It wasn’t like he’d been completely alone with a dog for a year, even if it sometimes felt like it. It seemed like Tendo never slept, so he was always there to talk. He contacted Mako almost every day, sometimes two or three times. He and Herc had started swapping pictures of their dogs. But even so, it was getting hard to stay in the big house with no one else, especially now that he was done. With nothing to do, it was surprisingly easy for his thoughts to go dark places.  
He’d drifted alone for a second time. He’d seen things. For a time, it had been fine. He and Mako had been together. They’d helped each other. And then she’d had to go.  
It taken awhile for him to finally come to terms with the fact that the war was over. For so long, being a pilot had defined who he was, until Yancey was killed. Then, again, Kaiju and Gipsy Danger had consumed his life. But he had ended it all. He had to remind himself all the time. He was famous now, a hero. That fact was hard enough to wrestle with, especially now that he had to deal with it all by himself.   
Butter wriggled out of his arms and rolled onto her side to scratch her belly. He sat back, torn from his thoughts. Finishing the coffee in one big gulp, he set the mug down with a thump. The rain was gentle but steady. The ground was drenched all over, water dripped from the trees and roof. He watched the rain come down until thoughts of Mako took over again, and he yanked his phone from the pocket of his sweatpants and began flipping through pictures.   
If there was ever a person he knew as well as he knew himself, it was her. He knew her smile, the shape of her face, the wisps of blue hair. Maybe I should dye my hair too. He thought. That would make her laugh. We could match. How awesome would that be, the pilots of Gipsy Danger with matching blue hair? He couldn’t help but miss being in the Jaeger with Mako, piloting Gipsy. It was the rush, the connection. Something deeper and more exhilarating than most people could ever dream of experiencing. But Gipsy was gone. She’d gone out fighting, and she wasn’t needed anymore. His connection with Mako, at least, still remained.  
He rested his cheek on his fist. They weren’t copilots anymore, so what were they now? He loved Mako more than anything, and he knew she did too. They were about to settle down and live together. He smiled into his hand. That sounded nice. They were partners. That could mean anything.  
A wind whipped by, driving rain onto the porch. Butter leapt up and hopped back towards the door. Raleigh followed, rising slowly. He walked to the open doorway and leaned against the jamb. He flicked through more pictures: Mako and him in their piloting gear, Mako at the beach, Mako sleeping. He tapped out of the photos and stopped with his thumb hovering over her contact. He desperately wanted to talk to her, to see her face.   
He couldn’t call her. Nor right now, at least. She was probably sleeping and he didn’t want to wake her up. He sent her a message.

<3 morning mako!  
Have a good day and come back soon!  
I miss you! <3<3

He pocketed the phone without adding anything else and stared out at the rain. It was coming down significantly harder, in dark sheets that made it almost impossible to see the other side of the street.   
The first crash of thunder startled both him and the dog. A bright flash arched across the sky, followed by a deafening crack. Butter jumped and barked, her hair on end.  
“Shh, Butter.” He reached down to rub her head and she pressed her body into his leg. “It’s alright. Just a storm.”  
Another bolt of lightning flashed, followed by more rolling thunder. Butter whined and pawed at his foot. Raleigh stroked her ears, but couldn’t help but smile. He remembered the exhilarating feeling of of battling in the rain, in the ocean, at night. The feeling of adrenaline, the unstoppable force of a jaeger behind him, the rush of emotion through the drift.   
Without really thinking, he wandered to the edge of the porch and stepped out into the rain. Grinning, he tilted his head up and stretched his arms out. Almost immediately, he was drenched. The heavy downpour was cold, soaking through his shirt and pants in seconds. He spun in a circle, laughing aloud. Rain water splashed at his feet, thunder roared above his head.   
With astounding clarity, he could remember what it was like with the roar of thunder rattling Gipsy, rain and wind battering the outside, but not even slowing them down. He was alive and exhilarated. Mako was in his head, together, united and unstoppable.   
Swept away by the memory, he kicked at the puddles and rivers of water streaming around his feet, threw his head back, and laughed at the lightning.   
A responding roar nearly deafened him. Oh man, I really miss this. Raliegh thought for a second before he was torn from the fantasy. The sudden crush of sound and whirl of lights descending from the clouds was real, not in his head.  
Butter was on the porch, going mad, her frenzied barking adding to the din.  
He stepped backwards, lifting a hand to shield his eyes from the driving rain and sudden flashes of bright light. There was a huge dark shape descending from the black clouds, making the rain swirl and splatter.   
Between the lights and the storm and the noise, he couldn’t quite make out what it was. A kaiju? A small, terrified part of his mind screamed. No, a jaeger.   
It was neither. Just as he reached the porch, a helicopter dropped out of the clouds, sinking towards his front lawn. Rain streamed from its sides, whirling off the propellor. Ducking against the wind, he grabbed Butter and pulled her into his side. Both drenched, he stood leaning against the porch column and squinted at the helicopter. A huge PPDC logo was emblazoned on the side.   
The tremendous roar of the propellers almost too much to bear, Raleigh watched in silent confusion as it gently touched down in the yard, spraying grass and water in all directions. Before the propellers had even begun to slow, the door on the side was ripped open and a figure emerged. The person was small, dressed in black, and they tore across the yard straight towards him. Ears ringing, Raleigh rose and ran a hand through his hair, only then realizing just how he must have looked: sweatpants and white shirt drenched and clinging to his skin, standing alone in his yard during a rainstorm.   
And what could the PPDC possibly want with him? The person marching across his yard was coming very quickly with an intense, purposeful pace that made him want to take a step back. But the closer they got, the more recognizable they came. He squinted, stepped forward and gasped aloud.  
Striding out of the thick haze of rain around the helicopter that had just landed in his yard was Mako.   
“Mako!” he cried, voice jumping an octave. Forgetting everything else, he leapt off the top step of the porch and into the drenched yard, sprinting across the swampy grass.   
Mako, her hair as blue as ever and a huge smile splitting her face, broke into a run too. They met in the middle of the yard, crashing into each other and holding on tight, words spilling from their mouths that couldn't quite form sentences. Mako was there, next to him, around him, on him, and he could hardly believe it. He squeezed her close, took her face in his hands and pressed their foreheads together.  
“Raleigh.” She said, so quietly he couldn’t hear above the din as the propellers slowed, but he knew the curve of her lips so well he could tell she said his name nonetheless.  
“Mako.” He said back, relishing the sound of her name on his lips. There was a man passing behind him, carrying a suitcase, and then he was gone and the helicopter lifting off and still he and Mako clutched each other in rain in the lawn of their house. He let himself melt into her drenched grasp, laughing at the absurdity of it, and she laughed too, leaning her forehead against his, the strands of blue hair sticking too his face. Their lips met, more gently even than the rain on his shoulders and it was just the same as he remembered and more electrifying than he could have ever imagined, all at the same time. Between the rush of rain and the thunder and the thud of propellers, the only thing that mattered was Mako’s arms around him and his arms around her and the way their lips fit together. God, he’d missed her.  
“Wow.” he murmured once the roar of the helicopter faded, leaving only the gentle sound of rain. “You’re really back.”  
She took a step back, still grasping his arms. “Yes.” She smiled. “I see you got a friend to replace me.”  
Grinning, he pulled away and bounded back to the porch where Butter was waiting with a worried doggy smile, stepping in place at the edge of the steps. He scooped her up and presented ehr proudly to Mako. “Yellow house needs a yellow dog!” He proclaimed. “Mako, meet Butter.” She followed him to the porch, cocked her head to observe drenched dog and man, both staring expectantly at her like worried children seeking approval. “Do you love her?” Raleigh asked, growing worried.  
“Yes.” She smiled broadly, bending forward to run her hand over Butter’s head. The tail started up again, a steady thump thump against Raleigh’s chest. “I love her.”  
Relieved, he dumped her onto the ground and held out his hand, drawing Mako up the steps and under the covered porch. The sound of rain fell away, and she finally took a moment to look around. As she looked at the ground, the walls, the yard Raleigh quietly moved her suitcase inside, then turned and cleared his throat, standing by the door. Butter did the same, sitting at his side. When she saw them both waiting at attention, she smiled again and fell into his arms in an overjoyed embrace. “It really is our home, isn’t it?”  
“Welcome home, Mako.” He said around a laugh. “Let’s get out of the rain and have a look around. I’ve been waiting so long to share it with you.”


End file.
